This invention relates to an inverted microscope in which living cells or tissues are viewed from the underneath of a slide, watch-glass, sterile bottle, or other container for the living cells. Inverted microscopes are so called because the objective lens is mounted beneath the slide, and thus it is possible to obtain an underside view of the object in question.
Existing inverted microscopes are expensive, have complex optics, and are not particularly suited to microsurgery where the experimenter has to position micromanipulators and micro tools in the medium containing the living cells, manipulate the cells, while viewing the operation through an eye piece. In most of them the focusing mechanism is effected by vertical movement of the stage, disturbing the positioning of the micromanipulators.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved inverted microscope, or one which will at least provide experimenters with a useful choice.